Protest Against UN Kosovo Plan in Pristina

Pristina _ Thousands of people from across Kosovo descended on Pristina for a protest against the UN’s six-point plan for the deployment of the EU’s law-and-order mission to Kosovo.

Under the slogan “Protect sovereignty”, the demonstrators started their march from the National Library of Kosovo, past Kosovo’s Parliament in a display of the legitimacy of Pristina’s institutions and finally stopping at the building of the United Nations Mission in Kosovo, UNMIK.

The demonstrators were addressed by Xhavit Jashari, the head of the Association for families of Kosovo Liberation Army Martyrs, Alban Bokshi from the anti-corruption watchdog, Cohu and the leader of the staunch independence movement Vetevendosje, Albin Kurti.

“With 12,000 victims in Kosovo, 20,000 raped women, 1 million people deported, Serbia is still trying to return its control over Kosovo with the six-point plan,” said Kurti.

They all stressed that it is the Pristina institution’s responsibility to protect the Constitution, while the acceptance of the six-point plan would turn Kosovo’s independence into a farce.

According to them, Serbia is trying to return to Kosovo through this plan.

The demonstrators assembled to represent the shape of the letter ‘S’ - symbolising Kosovo’s sovereignty.

The protest comes at a time when Pristina is facing diplomatic pressure to accept the six-point plan negotiated between the UN and Serbia to meet Serbia’s reservations over the deployment of the EU mission called EULEX.

The plan has been rejected by Kosovo’s President, Fatmir Sejdiu and Prime Minister, Hashim Thaci though earlier Serbia’s Foreign Minister said the plan was non-negotiable. Read more: http://www.balkaninsight.com/en/main/news/14905/
Kosovo, which unilaterally declared independence from Serbia in February and has been recognised by most European Union member states, objects to the six-point plan being based on UN Security Council Resolution 1244. This resolution, passed at the end of the 1998-1999 conflict between Serb forces and Kosovo’s ethnic Albanian majority, refers to Kosovo as Serbia’s southern province, not as an independent state.

Serbia insists that the EU cannot deploy a new civilian mission in Kosovo to replace the UN administration unless the mission is neutral in status and does not put into action the plan of former UN envoy Martti Ahtisaari – which envisages internationally-supervised independence for Kosovo.

Belgrade also insists that the mission must be confirmed by the UN Security Council, in which it has a strong ally with veto power – Russia.

The proposal envisages the gradual replacement of the administrative UN mission in Kosovo, UNMIK, which has been in the province since 1999, with an EU civilian mission of police and court officials.